August 15, 2015:

I have been re-reading Dune by Frank Herbert.   This was prompted by a Facebook posting all about a fan created DUNE using the original movie with restored cuts etc.   I tried to view it but the video had been taken down.   Hmmm

I first read the book sometime after 1964 when it was first published. Dune won a Hugo award, the first Nebula award and a movie and television series were created based on the book.

Ok, having seen the movie several times I can say that there were some fairly mild liberties taken with the plot.  Only one complaint regarding casting.  Sting cast as Feyd Ruatha Harkonnen was completely off.  Feyd and Usel were secretly cousins.  Sting made a lovely menacing Feyd but the book had him with black hair, lithe, etc. 

Plot points:  The movie implied much more involvement of the Guilds than was actually going on in the book.  Jessica’s part was much more involved in the book whereas in the movie, she was simply the lovely concubine of Duke Leto stuck in the desert.  The old mentat worked both sided of the street in the book.

It seemed that there were some Islamic influences in the book.  Jihad is part of the plot. Ramadan is mentioned and the cry of “We were denied Hajj!” was in memory of three slave pit rebellions on three different worlds.  I wonder if  Frank Herbert ever had a Fatwa issued.

Chani’s part was a bit murky so I will obviously have to watch Dune again.  I’m sure it will be on television some time soon.

Spent the day yesterday chasing primary care providers and specialists.  My FNP appointment was at 9 am.  She took me off Glipizide and will manage DM2 with insulin adjustments to save a little wear and tear on the kidneys.  See her in one month.  Drove to Roseburg to visit with my friend Sue and then toddled off to see Dr. K.  My labs are good, not anemic, see him in two months and he gave me a couple of candies.  He called me "Roycie" and I told him only my father was allowed to call me that but I would make an acception but that he would be a very young father.  He laughed and said he was older than me.  Nu uh! Yep, 72.  Well! Nicely preserved.  Husband stayed home being a bit under the weather.  I need more exercise just simply getting out of the danged house.  So today I shall made the arduous trip to the pharmacy and venture to the DMV to renew my driver's license.  Oy! I have to take an eye test so this could get dicey.

Cool Saturday Morning

I enjoy listening to NRP on Saturday morning, while lying in bed not quite ready to get up and face the day.  Today Scott Simon of the soulful puppy eyes and worlds greatest belly laugh was reporting on various topics.  He introduced Penn and Teller who have worked together now for 40 years.  That is longer than most marriages.  There was an interview with an author who wrote "Under Tiberius" which as near as I can tell is the story of a Roman con man who goes on the road with Jesus.  The author sounded exhausted and cynical and may have hopes of literary prizes in his future.  Another piece was a new album by a lovely young thing whose muse was Nina Simone singing Bee Gee's covers.   Strange.  Some political stuff.  And at the top of the hour I was compelled to leap from my lovely morning snooze to face the day.   No belly laugh from Mr. Simon today.  Dang it.

Haven't blogged in a while, now have new security stuff to march through and most likely forget.
Update on eyes; steady state so far, can read much better although there is a clear area in middle of left eye that compresses print, can read on each side.  This is typical of macular edema.  Hope to dry out soon.  Yesterday I woke about 2 am and the moonlight was just blasting into the neighborhood, really needed to have a fourth of July celebration going on.  It was pretty bright. So ta ta for now.

Insomnia

Dear God: Who are you? You're not Morgan Freeman are you?



I am that I am and it iz whut it iz, although I like Mr. Freeman's voice. In the interest of moving things along we will limit this interview to five question.



1. Did you create everything?




Yes, if you are paying attention that includes everything, all possibilities, and as a result all of the bad things, complaining about things is irrelevant.


2. Do I have choices?



Oh yes that is all covered in free will.



3. Do pets go to Heaven?




Refer back to created everything. Some people simply won't see pets when they go to Heaven.


4. Do you like hymn music?




My favorite is my own Heavenly Choir which has been augmented over the eons by some very talented musicians from now and then and here and there. I have always appreciated the earnest praise from all choirs and have developed selective hearing in self defense.


5. Is there one true religion? 
 

Yes and so are all of the rest.



Then God giggled and the interview was over.

Blogger won't let me import pictures.  No idea how to get around that, dang it.


So will maunder about most recent medical perplexities.  Had routine labs drawn at CVH, got hot phone call before I even got home, TAKE EXTRA POTASSIUM, recheck blood next day.  Gulped down three pills that day and three pills since.  Must be okey dokey, no panic value phone calls. Yah!!


I visit my eye doctor on the 6th. Pretty sure I will be getting a huge change in prescription if not a referral for cataract surgery.  Things are all blurry.  Takes a long time to focus.  Unfortunately I cannot enlarge my font on this particular screen, so I could by typing crap.  I have been trying to blame all my typo's on auto correct, but that will only excuse close calls.  All the walls are wavy and my parking is not straight, even when I think I am parking straight, nopey.


Oh and yesterday, was struck down by the most exquisite right ankle pain I have ever felt. Took a couple of Alleve in the hopes that is either an arthritic joint flare or an episode of gout.  On a scale of 1 to 10 yesterday was a good solid 8. Today it's down to a manageable 2.  Am keeping the cane on standby in case I have to make any sudden (for me) movement.  I sucks getting old and I am thankful it doesn't hurt as bad as yesterday. 


So, look both ways before crossing anything.

CBS SUNDAY MORNING.

SUNDAY MORNING (CBS) March 8, 2015:

There were several reports this morning and I won't cover all of them, just the ones that were particularly moving, amusing, astounding.



DOPPELGANGERS: A famous photographer (Forgot his name already) was being interviewed because he has been locating and photographing people. The piece opened with some of his pictures, all twins. Oh, so this about twins. Ok. Well the people in the photographs are not twins, not related, they just look like each other, Doppelgangers. They interviewed three or four sets; the one most striking were the two blond women who were blond, heavy set, short thick necks, same eyes, face, height and separate unrelated parents. The gentleman will be publishing this photographic project in a book soon. I really want to pre-order that on Amazon. I also got to thinking about all these look-a-likes and wondered if the entire race on earth is starting to become homogenized so that similar DNA types pop up more frequently until we have evolved to look basically like our neighbors. And I do wonder if there is another Royce somewhere. I don't know if I could stand her.



CARL REINER: He is going on 93. His career came into prominence on The Show of Shows. They aired one bit; he was interviewing Mel Brooks who was the 2,000 year old man. Carl asked him if they practiced polygamy. Mel replied, "No I was perfect". Next question was how many wives did he have. Mel replied that he had seven wives. Well how was that? Oh, it was terrible!! When I came home from work, I heard "You're late for supper, supper, supper, supper, supper, supper, supper!" I screamed in laughter, I had never heard that one before.



HAMILTON: This one was a bit astounding. An actor/author (sorry short term memory, no name) has written a play about Alexander Hamilton and the dialog is all in Rap, Hip Hop. Ugh, not my favorite song genre. However, the story is quite wonderful and after a bit I started nodding my head in time with the rapsters and it was all cool, very cool. Now the show has been off Broadway and is soon to debut ON Broadway. As I will likely never go to New York in particular for a Broadway show, I sure would like to pre-order the DVD on Amazon. 
 

DAISY A DAY: There was a piece from On The Road. Two park workers in Fond Du Lac Wisconsin had started clearing the snowy path in a park when they noticed a senior citizen sitting in his car unable to get out because of the snow bank. The park had a bench at the end of the walk way with a picture of a woman on the bench. The gentleman comes to that bench each day to leave a daisy in memory of his wife and sings her favorite song, "I'll Bring You a Daisy a Day, Dear". Big Sniff.



SELMA: President Obama gave his speech at the rally and it was quite impressive, speaking in past, present and future phrasing with his distinctive soft/hard S sound. There was none of his famous hesitation before almost every word as he thinks to say the appropriate word. Well done, my Speech class teacher would have been proud.



MONARCH BUTTERFLYS: A man in Nebraska has let 44 acres of his farm land go unplanted with the local commercial crops. He has allowed native plants, grasses and flowers to grow, especially skunk week. He has done this in response to aid the annual migration of these beautiful insects. Hooray for entomology.



The program closed with a silent picture of nature as usual. It was a Snowy Owl. Very pretty.